In a statement, the Public Security Police (PSP), which arrested eight activists (aged between 19 and 28) for disobedience, assured that it had explained to the demonstrators the reasons for their presence at the site and that it had been called at the request of the management of the Faculty of Psychology because the protest was allegedly "compromising the normal functioning" of the institution. "The removal of the demonstrators from inside the Faculty was conducted with sensitivity and respect for human rights and prioritising the safety of all parties involved and, although an attempt was made at dialogue and mediation of the situation, these proved fruitless, making it necessary to carry out the aforementioned arrests", reads the note released by the police force. When removing the eight activists who decided not to comply with the orders to leave the premises, the PSP said it came across "about 30 to 40 activists on the public highway" and that they approached and surrounded the police vehicles, with some sitting down on the road in order to prevent their removal. "It was necessary to create a safety zone using strictly the necessary force, in order to clear the carriageway and consequently the safe removal of the vehicles and their occupants, which was achieved", stressed the PSP, which took the detainees to the Lisbon Metropolitan Command in order to subsequently present them in court. The statement from the security force came hours after a spokesperson for the activist movement denounced to Lusa that there had been "police violence". Joana Fraga said that the action by the authorities involved "strong pushing and blows with batons, even leaving parents of students, who were supporting the protest, on the floor". Today, the University of Lisbon (UL) also issued a statement justifying the call to the police by the need to "restore the safety of property, equipment and people". "We have always valued the free expression of ideas and the involvement of the community in causes that concern us collectively. In the face of methods and behaviours that seriously compromise the safety of people and property and, by extension, the proper functioning of the University of Lisbon and its Schools, it is our responsibility to put an end to this initiative", stated the institution. Portuguese university and secondary school students linked to movements such as the Student Climate Strike and Students for Justice in Palestine had been protesting since Tuesday at the UL's Faculty of Psychology, in whose building the Institute of Education also operates. The movements had called for the occupation by joining a student protest that began on North American campuses and spread to universities in several European cities, Canada, Mexico and Australia, to demand an end to the Israeli offensive in Gaza. The war in Gaza was triggered by the attack by the radical Palestinian group Hamas on Israeli soil on 7 October 2023, which caused around 1,200 deaths and two hundred hostages, according to the Israeli authorities. The offensive launched by Israel in retaliation has since caused almost 35,000 deaths, according to Hamas, which has governed the small Palestinian enclave since 2007. Read Also: Student protest in Lisbon continues with double the number of tents (Portuguese version)